1. Field of the invention
The present invention concerns a novel chamber for pulsatory combustion, said chamber allowing pulsatory combustion of a mixture of fuel and comburent.
2. Description of the prior art
The theory of pulsatory combustion and its utilization for producing heating units is known to those skilled in the art. It is in particular described in French Patent No. 2 178 997 dated Apr. 2, 1973. In such units, the main chamber is provided with an assembly of lateral chambers, a plate dividing the main chamber into two compartments so that transversal the mixture of combustible and comburent material that penetrates the first of these compartments, in the direction of the transversal plate, is divided by this plate and is forced, in order to pass behind said plate, to cross through the lateral chambers.
According to the particular embodiment described in the above-mentioned patent, the main chamber comprises four lateral chambers, disposed around the axis connecting the input opening to the output opening and the transversal plate is secured to the walls of the chamber. This assembly is produced in a single piece by casting operations.
It is also foreseen that the plate and the chamber are made integral at several sites, thereby allowing an improved heat transfer to the wall of the main chamber. These attachment zones are disposed at sites of the wall of the main chamber that are situated between the lateral chambers.
One problem that is frequently encountered in this type of combustion chamber is that of the differential dilatation that can exist between the separation plate and the walls of the chamber since these elements can be brought to very different temperatures. So as to overcome these drawbacks, PCT application WO No. 81/00610 proposed to have the transversal plate presenting weakening zones situated along the length of two perpendicular axes intersecting at the center of the plate. During operating, and in particular during combustion in the chamber, the plate is ruptured along these lines and thus accepts these dimensional variations due to the differences in temperature while continuing to act as a separation plate.
In order to utilize these combustion chambers in complete boilers, all the elements are joined together by welding and soldering operations, which can give rise to certain problems during operation, in particular with respect to the connection between the tubular exchanger and the horn which ensures the passage of the burned and hot gases between the chamber and the exchanger.